Timmy Allen put an exclamation point on a blistering first-half by the Texas Longhorns in Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup against Xavier. With a win, Texas would reach its first Elite Eight since 2008.
On the play in question, Allen came down with a defensive rebound with four seconds left and dribbled up to halfcourt before canning a buzzer-beater to lift the Longhorns a 42-25 lead over the Musketeers.
That was not the only miraculous make of the first half for Texas, either. Earlier in the contest, Marcus Carr connected on an improbable three-pointer after losing the ball late in the shot clock, recovering it and chucking in a three-point attempt as the shot clock expired.
Those two successful miracle shots helped turn the game into a potential blowout. A two-seed in the Midwest Region, Texas is actually the highest-remaining seed in the tournament. Top-seeded squads Alabama and Houston lost earlier on Friday night, making the 2023 NCAA Tournament the first without a No. 1 seed in the Elite Eight.
Thanks to their first-half effort, the Longhorns are one half of basketball away from making sure one at least one second-seeded outfit graces the Elite Eight field.
Indeed, Texas might be the new favorite to win it all by the end of Friday night (assuming they can hold on). A win would give the Big 12 two teams (Kansas State being the other) in the Elite Eight. A national championship by either would be the third in a row for the conference. Baylor won the tournament in 2021 while Kansas cut down the nets last spring.
A Longhorns championship would be somewhat unexpected in its own right. The team is making its run in the tournament under interim head coach Rodney Terry, who was put in the lead sideline role after the program fired former head coach Chris Beard on the heels of his arrest on domestic assault charges.
Should Texas eventually come out of the tournament as champions, they would be the first outfit to do so under an interim head coach since Michigan achieved the feat with Steve Fisher in 1989.
History might be stacked against Texas, but if Friday night’s miraculous shots are any indication, the program at least has luck on its side.
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